The three-day festival is moving one week earlier than previously announced (2nd – 4th September).

The Play Creators Festival brings together some of the brightest design talent to share ideas, inspire creativity and help companies of all sizes and specialities uncover their next hit product.

The new dates for your diary are:
Monday, September 2nd – Toy & Game Design Conference
Monday, September 2nd (evening) – Play Creators Awards
Tuesday, September 3rd – Mojo Pitch
Wednesday, September 4th – Student Design Conference

If you have questions regarding any of the events, do drop us a line at billy@mojo-nation.com

Or for any sponsorship enquires, email adam@mojo-nation.com

DAY 1: Monday, 2nd September
Toy and Game Design Conference
The Toy and Game Design Conference is a day set to inspire, enlighten and wow the industry’s creative backbone. With a line-up of exciting speakers from across toys, games, licensing, tech and the wider worlds of design, our conference will unite the global toy and game inventor community and highlight the creative talent working within it.
Find out more at; https://toyandgamedesignconference.com/

DAY 1: Monday, 2nd September
Play Creators Awards
The Play Creators Awards celebrate those in the toy and game design community that have excelled over the last 12 months. Whether it’s an R&D team responsible for a smash-hit, an agency that’s taken a brief and soared or a freelance inventor responsible for year’s big hit, the PCAs are about celebrating the industry’s top design talent.
Find out more at; https://playcreatorsawards.com/


DAY 2: Tuesday, 3rd September
Mojo Pitch
For companies looking to unearth your next hit product, the Mojo Pitch puts you in front of designers as you host meetings at your own pitching room within London’s Stamford Bridge. For designers, this is where you can pitch your toy and game concepts to a wide range of companies, each on the lookout for something special.
Find out more at; https://mojo-pitch.com/

Day 3: Wednesday, 4th September
Student Design Conference
Aimed at encouraging design students to take up careers in the toy space, the event is free to attend for students and course leaders. The event covering various aspects of toy design, game development, and working with brands, as well as hosting a hands-on design challenge that sees students work alongside the pros.
Find out more at; http://mojonationstudentconference.com/

The post New dates for this year’s Play Creators Festival appeared first on Mojo Nation.

Nominations are now open for the Play Creators Awards, an event taking place at the 2019 Play Creators Festival celebrating the best in toy and game design.

Taking place on the evening of Monday, September 2nd 2019 at Under The Bridge (Stamford Bridge), the Play Creators Awards will celebrate figures in the toy and game design community that have excelled over the last 12 months.

Whether it’s an R&D team responsible for a smash-hit line, a design agency that’s taken a brief and soared or an individual responsible for the industry’s next playground craze, the Play Creator Awards are all about shining a spotlight on the industry’s brightest design talent.

The categories available to nominate are:

Toy Designer of the Year
Whether bringing innovation to an iconic toy brand, or responsible for the industry’s latest big hit, this award celebrates a figure that has done outstanding work in toy design over the last 12 months.

Game Designer of the Year (Kids Games)
This award is for designers behind the best and brightest in the world of kids’ games. Fun, silly, educational, or all of the above, we’re looking to celebrate the brains behind the games.

Game Designer of the Year (Tabletop)
With the tabletop space booming, it’s only right that we also celebrate those creating the next big thing in board games. Whether it’s the next big gateway game, a Spiel-de-Jahres contender or a title responsible for pushing through an exciting new mechanic, this award is for those doing something special in the tabletop space.

R&D Team of the Year
In-house at a toy titan, or leading design at a thriving SME, this award celebrates teams working in Research & Development that have achieved extraordinary things over the last year.

Invention Studio/Design Agency of the Year
The secret weapon for many toy firms, design agencies and invention studios are the unsung heroes of our industry. This category celebrates a firm that deserves recognition for exceptional work over the last 12 months.

Toy Designer of the Year (Licensed Product)
The first of two awards recognising excellence in licensed product, Toy Designer of the Year (Licensed Product) celebrates creators that have brought much loved characters and IP to life through great toys.

Game Designer of the Year (Licensed Product)
This award is for a designer that has given an IP the tabletop treatment in impressive style via a great licensed game this year.

Play Innovator of the Year
Whether it’s via AI, robotics, VR, AR or voice tech, the Play Innovation of the Year award celebrates designers driving innovation in the toy and game space through the integration of the latest and greatest tech.

Rising Star Award
Who are the design legends of the future? Perhaps someone leading one of the industry’s many exciting start-ups, or a young star within your team? If so, nominate them in the Rising Star category.

Design Icon Award
This award celebrate an iconic figure that have helped shape the industry, truly leaving their footprint and a lasting legacy in the world of toy and game design.

The deadline to get nominations in is May 1st 2019.

Finalists for each category will be announced in June 2019, before a panel of experts select winners over a series of roundtable judging sessions.

To nominate, or for information on tickets, head to the Play Creators Awards site here.

For sponsorship opportunities or information on the wider Play Creators Festival, click here.

The post Nominations now open for the Play Creators Awards 2019 appeared first on Mojo Nation.

The Alpha Group will once again be meeting toy and game designers at the Mojo Pitch event this September.

Forming part of the Play Creators Festival, the Mojo Pitch will take place on Tuesday, September 3rd at London’s Stamford Bridge stadium.

The event welcomes toy and game designers, invention houses and design agencies as they pitch exciting new toy and game concepts to a range of companies, each on the lookout for new products.

“Alpha Group is delighted to be partnering with Mojo Nation for the second year in a row as part of the 2019 Play Creators Festival,” said Darren Lee Phillipson, VP of global product design at Alpha Group.

“Mojo Nation are really at the beginning of something special and their dedication and passion for bringing together creatives from all sides of the toy industry is extremely inspiring”.

More participating companies will be announced in the coming weeks.

To join Alpha in seeing designers at the Mojo Pitch, email Billy Langsworthy at billy@mojo-nation.com

Or if you’re a designer, inventor or design agency that would like book in a meeting with Alpha at this year’s Mojo Pitch, head to mojo-pitch.com for more information.

For more details on the wider Play Creators Festival, head to: playcreatorsfestival.com

The post Mojo Pitch welcomes Alpha Group for second year running appeared first on Mojo Nation.